Zuern Building Products

What Zuern Building Products does

Zuern Building Products & Design Center is a family-owned independent distributor of lumber and building materials headquartered in Allenton, Wisconsin, founded in 1953 and now in its third generation of family ownership. The company operates eight retail showrooms/lumberyards across Wisconsin (Allenton, Appleton, Cedarburg, Cross Plains, Delafield, Franklin, Madison, Watertown), a 70,000 sq ft climate-controlled distribution center in Slinger, WI, and a custom cabinetry and millwork manufacturing facility in Menomonee Falls acquired in November 2024. Its product catalog spans lumber and engineered wood, windows and skylights, exterior and interior doors, cabinetry and countertops, siding and exterior trim, roofing, decking and deck lighting, and millwork/molding/stair parts, with over 100 brand partnerships including exclusive Wisconsin-largest-dealer status with Marvin and exclusive Showplace Cabinetry representation.

The business operates a dual go-to-market: roughly 84% of revenue from professional builders and remodelers served through dedicated contractor sales counters, inside and outside field sales, WebTrack online account ordering, and a delivery fleet with boom trucks, Moffett-equipped tri-axles, box trucks and flatbeds; and the remaining 16% from walk-in retail homeowners served through design center services (kitchen, bath, deck, and whole-home design). Customer acquisition relies on a contractor-first motion augmented by community sponsorships, contractor CEU programs, regional PR (Faces of Milwaukee, Top Workplaces), and social media. The company is a member of Lumbermen's Merchandising Corporation (LMC), providing collective buying power across more than 1,200 independent lumberyards.

FY2020 revenue was approximately $89M (a record year), recognized as LBM Journal Dealer of the Year ($50M-$100M category) in 2021, with 200+ employees as of 2021 and continued expansion via the 2024 acquisitions of Appleton, Cross Plains, Menomonee Falls and Wood Specialties. Zuern is privately held with no external investors, no parent company, and pricing is quote-based rather than publicly disclosed.

Name

Zuern Building Products

Legal name

Zuern Building Products, Inc.

Website

https://zuerns.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1953

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Zuern Building Products is a family-owned independent lumber and building materials distributor in Wisconsin, operating eight showrooms, a distribution center, and custom cabinetry manufacturing, serving professional builders and remodelers (84%) and retail homeowners (16%).

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Building Materials Distribution

NAICS

Home Centers (444110), Building Material and Supplies Dealers (4441), Building Material and Garden Equipment and Supplies Dealers (444)

SIC

Retail-Lumber & Other Building Materials Dealers (5211), Retail-Building Materials, Hardware, Garden Supply (5200), Wholesale-Lumber, Plywood, Millwork & Wood Panels (5031)

akta.pro primary industry

Lumber & Timber Retail (Dimensional Lumber, Plywood, OSB) (CRAIAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Doors, Windows & Millwork Retail (Interior/Exterior Doors, Windows, Moulding) (CRAIAEAI), Decking & Outdoor Structural Materials Retail (Composite, Railings, Posts) (CRAIAEAH)

Keywords

• Lumber building materials
• Contractor building supply
• Kitchen bath design
• Windows doors distribution
• Roofing siding decking

Headquarters

HQ city

Allenton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Lumber and Building Materials Sales: Core revenue from selling lumber, millwork, windows, doors, siding, roofing, decking, cabinetry, and related building materials to professional builders, remodelers, and homeowners.
2. Design Services: Revenue from kitchen, bath, deck, and whole home design services, including product specification and design consultation.
3. Product Delivery: Delivery services for materials to job sites throughout service area with state-of-the-art equipment including boom trucks, tri-axles with Moffett, box trucks and flatbed trucks.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Zuern Building Products is a family-owned lumber and building materials distributor operating eight retail showrooms plus a 70,000 sq ft distribution center in Wisconsin. The company sells exterior and interior building products — windows, doors, roofing, siding, decking, cabinetry, countertops, millwork, and lumber — alongside professional kitchen, bath, deck, and whole-home design services, with next-day delivery and dedicated contractor support.

Product overview

Zuern Building Products & Design Center is a family-owned lumber and building materials supplier since 1953, operating as one of the largest independent dealers in Wisconsin. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of building materials organized into exterior products (doors, roofing, siding, windows, decking) and interior products (cabinetry, countertops, millwork). Beyond product sales, the company provides design center services including kitchen design, bathroom design, deck design, and whole home design through seven showroom locations. The company serves both professional contractors (approximately 84%) and retail homeowners, and has expanded through strategic acquisitions including Window Design Center (2020), Wood Specialties (2024), and multiple geographic expansions. The product portfolio includes over 100+ brand partners across all categories, supported by a 70,000 sq ft distribution center in Slinger.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Window Design Center from Zuern: Window and door showroom brand following acquisition of Window Design Center in 2020, with locations in Madison and Delafield.

Products and services

• Windows & Skylights Distribution and retail sale of windows and skylights from major manufacturers (Andersen, Marvin, Hayfield, Quaker, VELUX, Wasco) for new construction and remodeling projects serving professional contractors and homeowners.
• Exterior and Interior Doors Distribution and retail sale of exterior and interior doors from Andersen, Marvin, Masonite, Therma-Tru, Simpson Door, and TruStile for residential construction and remodeling.
• Roofing Distribution and retail sale of roofing materials from GAF, DaVinci Roofscapes, DECRA, and Cedar Shake & Shingle, with delivery capability directly to job-site roofs via boom trucks.
• Siding & Exterior Trim Distribution and retail sale of siding and exterior trim from James Hardie, LP SmartSide, Cedar Valley, and Rollex for residential exteriors.
• Decking & Deck Lighting Distribution and retail sale of composite and wood decking products and accessories from AZEK, TimberTech, Trex, and MoistureShield, plus deck lighting solutions.
• Cabinetry Distribution and retail sale of cabinetry products, including an exclusive Showplace Cabinetry line plus Countryside Cabinets and Koch.
• Custom Cabinetry & Millwork Manufacturing In-house design and manufacture of custom, made-to-order millwork products including trim/molding, doors, stair parts, and custom cabinetry, produced at the Menomonee Falls facility acquired November 2024.
• Countertops Distribution and retail sale of countertop surfaces from Cambria, Caesarstone, Silestone, Corian, Formica, and Wilsonart for kitchen, bath, and interior projects.
• Millwork, Molding & Stair Parts Distribution of millwork, molding, trim, and stair parts from Metrie, WindsorONE, and TruStile, stored in climate-controlled warehousing, plus custom millwork manufacturing.
• Lumber & Engineered Wood Distribution and retail sale of traditional lumber and engineered wood products for new construction and remodeling projects.
• Kitchen Design Services Professional kitchen design services provided by Zuern designers at showroom locations, supporting homeowners and builders in planning and executing kitchen remodeling projects.
• Bathroom Design Services Professional bathroom design services provided by Zuern design teams for bath remodeling projects.
• Deck Design Services Professional deck design services to help plan outdoor living spaces, including materials selection and layout planning.
• Whole Home Design Services Whole home design services for comprehensive home remodeling and new construction projects, bringing together selections across cabinetry, countertops, millwork, windows, doors, and exterior products.
• Contractor Support & Delivery Services Services for professional builders and remodelers including a dedicated contractor sales counter, accessible contractor yard, material list assistance, and next-day fleet delivery to job sites.
• WebTrack Online Ordering Online shop portal (WebTrack) at webtrack.zuerns.com providing customer account access, product browsing, and order placement for account customers.
• Window Design Center from Zuern Window and door showrooms operating in Delafield and Madison, WI, offering dedicated window and door retail consultation and fulfillment under the Window Design Center from Zuern sub-brand.

Quantifiable outcome

• $89 million revenue in 2020 (record-breaking year)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Wood SpecialtiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2024Acquired Wood Specialties out of Menomonee Falls, WI. Strategic move to expand custom cabinets and millwork offerings. Integration adds manufacturing capability for custom cabinetry and millwork products.
• Window Design CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2020Acquired Window Design Center with locations in Madison, WI and Delafield, WI. Renamed Window Design Center from Zuern. Brings continued diversification and expanded category sales in window & door segment.
• Cedarburg Community PlaygroundminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 29 May 2019First major sponsor of Cedarburg community playground project at Willowbrooke Community Park. Donated treated material for the build and t-shirts for volunteers.
• Oak Creek High School Knight Construction ProgramminorOthers · 29 May 2018Proud supporter of Oak Creek High School Knight Construction program. Provides starter bags with tool belts, hammers, safety glasses, tape measures, and carpenter pencils to students. Donated or discounted materials for home construction class.
• Lumbermen's Merchandising Corporation (LMC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProud member of Lumbermen's Merchandising Corporation (LMC), an exclusive network of independent lumber and building materials dealers. LMC provides collective buying power across more than 1,200 lumberyards, allowing Zuern to purchase collectively from major brand name manufacturers and pass savings onto customers.
• Milwaukee MilkmenminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsorship of Milwaukee Milkmen minor league baseball team at Ballpark Commons in Franklin. Sponsoring the Zuern Deck located within Routine Field's 'Hop Yard' beer garden and concession area.
• Marvin Windows and DoorscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive dealer for Marvin Windows and Doors in the Milwaukee area for over 55 years. Largest Marvin dealer in Wisconsin. Hosts Marvin Food Truck Nights and CEU courses.
• Showplace CabinetrycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive dealer for Showplace Cabinetry, featured prominently in design showrooms for cabinetry design services.
• Ronald McDonald House (Southeastern Wisconsin)minorOthersParticipating in the 'Giving Tree' program at all 4 locations. Donation program to help keep Ronald McDonald House cupboards filled with items from their wish list.
• Cedar CommunityminorOthersDonated three wheelchair-accessible planter boxes to Cedar Community in Town of West Bend. 15 volunteers (employees and families) built and installed the planter boxes.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• ABC Supply Co. Largest wholesale distributor of roofing, siding, and building materials in North America. Competes with Zuern on the contractor side across roofing, siding, windows, and exterior categories, but operates at vastly greater national scale.
• US LBM: National lumber and building materials distributor formed by rolling up regional independents. Closest strategic analog to Zuern's roll-up playbook and a direct competitor for acquisition targets in the Midwest.
• Lansing Building Products: National distributor of exterior building products (siding, windows, roofing, decking) serving contractors. Overlaps directly with Zuern's exterior categories and contractor channel.
• Foundation Building Materials: Specialty distributor of building products including insulation, roofing, and gypsum. Comparable contractor-focused distribution model in adjacent product categories.
• SRS Distribution: National building products distributor focused on roofing, siding, windows, and exterior categories serving professional contractors. Direct competitor for Zuern's exterior product lines.
• BMC Stock Holdings: Major national provider of building materials, millwork, and components to professional builders. Highly comparable to Zuern on lumber, millwork, and pro-builder focus.
• Menard Inc. Wisconsin-headquartered privately held home improvement chain and one of Zuern's most direct competitors, especially in retail and DIY across lumber, roofing, siding, windows, and cabinetry.
• Stock Building Supply (now part of GMS): Distribution platform for building products including lumber, millwork, and windows serving professional contractors; comparable pro-focused LBM model at national scale.

Direct peers

• Spahn & Rose Lumber Co. Independent family-owned lumber and building materials dealer serving the upper Midwest, including Wisconsin and Iowa. Most direct independent peer in terms of regional footprint, product mix, and customer base.
• Lampert Yards (Lampert Lumber): Upper-Midwest independent lumber and building materials dealer with showrooms and design centers serving both contractors and homeowners. Closest comparable independent on geography and full-service LBM-plus-design model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ZuernBuildingProducts
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zuern-building-products
• Instagraminstagram.com/zuernbuildingproducts

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Zuern Building Products